New boots

After numerous track days the Toyo R888s on the Merlot were beginning to look a little bit the worse for wear.  In fact they were looking a lot more like a full slick rather than the semi slick road legal track day tyre they started out as. So what to replace them with ? No contest really, the R888s have been brilliant, the biggest performance improvement we have ever made to the car, so we bought a second set !

We love Cornish pasties !

Yes we do, and to prove it Team Merlot and Project Merlot have just spent a week in Cornwall.  The excuse ? The MX-5 Owners Club Spring Rally held on Sunday 20 May at Pendennis Castle in Falmouth, but really we went for the week to sample the delicious pasties and the even more delicious Tribute, brewed by the St Austell Brewery that we discovered at a local hotel. Oh, and we also had a blast driving some of those great little Cornish roads.

Merlot and friends, Mullion Cove.

Pastie

and...

Roll up, roll up...

Shiny side up and the greasy side down! That's always seemed like good advice to me. But, you never really know and better safe than sorry, and Motorsport is Dangerous, as the signs at circuits usually like to point out. Project Merlot has therefore now been fitted with a new 4 point roll cage. The original one served us well, although never actually put into action, but we decided we needed something a bit better for the new black car. With the offer of a good value second hand TR Lane cage coming our way Merlot Black finally got the extra protection it deserved.